Common Read

The Common Read program, offered at ASU’s West campus, offers incoming freshmen an opportunity to connect with fellow students through shared reading. Founded in 2012, the ASU West campus Common Read program has attracted authors such as Ernest Cline (“Ready Player One”), Adam Braun (“Promise of a Pencil”) and Leslie Odom Jr. (“Hamilton: The Revolution”) to ASU’s West campus.

During the Common Read event, students will present a project about the book and discuss their projects with one another. 

This year, the book selected is We Need to Talk by Celeste Headlee. 

The novel was selected because today, most of us communicate from behind electronic screens. Studies show that Americans feel less connected and more divided than ever before. The blame for some of this disconnect can be attributed to our political landscape, but the erosion of our conversational skills as a society lies with us as individuals.

And the only way forward, says Headlee, is to start talking to each other. In We Need to Talk, she outlines the strategies that have made her a better conversationalist—and offers simple tools that can improve anyone’s communication.  https://celesteheadlee.com/celeste-headlee-author/ 

Carolyn Starr

New College

602-543-6002

carolyn.starr@asu.edu